<< Back to Advisory Board Homepage
The National Park System Advisory Board are citizen advisors chartered by Congress to help the National Park Service care for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
The Board was first authorized in 1935 under the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act. The Board advises the Director of the National Park Service and the Secretary of the Interior on matters relating to the National Park Service, the National Park System, and programs administered by the National Park Service, including the administration of the Historic Sites, Buildings, and Antiquities Act; the designation of national historic landmarks and national natural landmarks; and the national historic significance of proposed national historic trails. The Board may advise on matters submitted to the Board by the Director of the National Park Service and/or the Secretary of the Interior.
The Board's membership consists of individuals selected from among citizens of the United States having a demonstrated commitment to the mission of the National Park Service. Board members are selected to represent various geographic regions across the United States of America. Membership includes persons with outstanding expertise in the physical and/or social sciences, such as history or geography, archeology or anthropology, historical or landscape architecture, or biology, ecology, or marine sciences, persons having outstanding expertise in management of national or state parks; forests, wildlife refuges, or other protected natural areas; historic areas or sites; or have an extensive background in natural or cultural resources management; and persons having outstanding expertise in professional or scientific disciplines that are important to the mission of the National Park Service, such as, financial management or business development; historical or recreational land use management or planning; business management, marketing or entrepreneurship. Members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior for terms not to exceed four years.
Board Members 2023-2027
Bowen Blair - Writer; J.D. in Environmental Law, Lewis and Clark College
Daniella Levine Cava - Mayor, Miami-Dade County, Florida; J.D., Columbia University
Theresa Coble -- Professor, Experiential and Family Education, University of Missouri; Ph.D. in Forest Resources, University of Minnesota
Aja DeCoteau - Executive Director, Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission; Master of Environmental Management, Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Member Yakama Nation
Shane Douglas - General Manager, AllTrails; Board Member, Outdoor Afro & Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Victor Galan - Ph.D. in Anthropology and Geoarcheology, Texas A&M University
Gwen Iacona - Director, Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University; Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee
Robert Keiter - Director, Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
Thomas Kiernan - President and CEO, American Rivers; Former President, National Parks Conservation Association
Breece Robertson - Principal, Breece Robertson Consulting; M.A. Geography, Appalachian State University
Lindsay Robertson - Chickasaw Nation Endowed Chair in Native American Law Emeritus, University of Oklahoma College of Law; Ph.D. in History, University of Virginia
Lisa Sumption - Director, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Jessica Thompson - Professor, College of Business and Director for the Sustainability Hub for Innovation & Environment, Northern Michigan University; Ph.D. in Environmental Communication and Conflict Resolution, University of Utah
Molly Ward - Board Member, Fort Monroe Foundation & Chesapeake Conservancy; Former Secretary of Natural Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia; Former Mayor, City of Hampton, Virginia; J.D. William and Mary Law School
Reid Wilson - Secretary, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Last updated: November 29, 2024